This segment features artists who have submitted their tracks/videos to She Makes Music. If you would like to be featured here then please send an e-mail to helen@shemakesmusic.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!
V Kelly
Victoria Kelly is an indie pop/country singer-songwriter currently based in NYC. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2020. She has loved music since she was a little girl and being able to release music into the world is a dream come true for her. She has just released her new sigle ‘Better’. “The idea for this song was written in my first NYC apartment after I had just gotten out of an emotionally abusive relationship,” Victoria explains. “It’s meant to process through song those lingering feelings of still having some love for someone but also knowing you deserve better. The final song and lyrics were finished and co-written with my best friend Sydney Matlock in Nashville. The song was produced by Fraser Watt and mixed/mastered by Al Von Staats. It’s such a special song to me and I hope it can bring some comfort / awareness to others actively in or trying to get out of a toxic relationship.” Listen below.
pure xtc
Baltimore-born Taylor Hughes, best known as pure xtc released her debut EP Nobody’s Home in 2021 and has been on overdrive since. Hughes’s musical journey started long before pure xtc, the artist first honed her skills behind the drum kit and began touring the United States and Canada in 2010. Fast forward a decade and a global pandemic and Hughes has shifted her focus onto songwriting and vocals. Hughes also plays guitar, bass and keys, as well as being classically trained in her younger years on piano, violin and cello.The brooding alternative pop artist unveils a new song, ‘lighter’. “I can pinpoint a conversation I had with my friend/producer, Walter Kazmier over the last winter,” explains Hughes. “I told him I was working on something that felt like a different direction, with more organic tones and textures that are a little foreign to the pure xtc soundscape. ‘lighter’ has big fuzzy guitars over bombastic drums and a piano, but there’s still a lot of synth. Like a ton.” Listen below.
Abi Jenae
Abi Jeane has just dropped her new single ‘Owo’. “‘Owo’ means “money” in my Yoruba language, and “mo fe owo” means “I want money” so it really is a song about wanting money,” explains Abi of the song. “I think the translation is the first step to really understand the song. In this song I touch on having love for my family as well. When I wrote the song I was inspired by an old school song called ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’, by The Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie and Bad Boy Records. However, with my song ‘Owo’ I was more optimistic about having more money and no problems! This is what people in the world can relate with. When I was writing the lyrics I laid a foundation of love, power and ambition to add to the main topic of money. The song has a fun, laid back, cool vibe to it. It depicts the lifestyle of a real life hustler in the midst of the challenges and financial struggles in life. ‘Owo’ is really an anthem for the hustler community to manifest wealth and success and I’m so excited to feature the song on my upcoming EP titled Love & Hustle.” Listen below.
DANAMA
The 4 piece band DANAMA was formed in 2021 by a collection of indie loving nerds who met through Facebook and couldn’t get enough of Pale Waves, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Imagine Dragons. DANAMAs unique music fuses heavy synths, hard hitting grooves, contrasting vocals and bright guitars. With energetic performances, witty stage banter and surprising alternative song versions that will make you want to dance and rock out all night long, whilst breathing new life into today’s alternative music culture. The band say, “We like our music to be a mystery! Our music has many different meanings to each band member however we want our audience to experience their own connection and meanings with the songs. Our songs are all bangers in our opinion.” The band have recently released their new album titled Did You Know? Listen to the track ‘Lemon Juice’ below. “This songs powerful, fun, light hearted with some banging riffs and solos.”
Joey Mac
Cutting her teeth on the open mic scene in Sheffield, Joey gained recognition for her style of percussive guitar and her captivating stage presence. Her loyal fanbase brought her to stages at Tramlines, YNOT festival, Green Note and Sofar Sounds among others. Joey returned from a hiatus in March 2022 with two sold out shows in Sheffield and London where she recorded her first single, ‘Fun & Games’. Joey’s 2023 saw her develop her solo acoustic signature into a full band sound. A joyous performer, her lyrics balance earnestness and humour to tell stories of love and heartbreak. As she weaves between thoughtful melodies and cathartic foot-stompers, Joey Mac will take you on a ride and leave you with a warm glow when it’s all over.Joey Mac is thrilled to announce the release of her new indie folk single ‘Ferdinand,’ available everywhere now. Joey Mac’s latest single paints an unexpectedly warming picture of a failing relationship through an ode to a chilli plant. Her signature percussive guitar propels the narrative forward, as Joey hooks the listener in with emotive, witty lyrics and moves through the intricate melody with ease and control. Listen below.
of persephone
of persephone is the “siren rock” brain child of Sarah Rae. She released her first record, Bridge to Neverland, in early 2022. Sparkling guitar leads paired with Rae’s theatrical vocals bring the listener into the ethereal world of the front-woman’s mind. There is a nostalgia and childhood innocence about the sound that makes it feel fresh. This emphasis on fairytales and classic stories will continue through her upcoming releases, including the two part album Rainbow Road, releasing throughout 2023 and 2024. Her new single ‘Glass Unicorn’ is out today, and is a track “that deals with living your truth through the lens of a glass window, knowing that no matter who peers there, you are always going to live bright, happy, and vibrant!” says Sarah. Listen below.
Aurora Engine
Originally from the North East of England, Aurora Engine (Deborah Shaw) is a ground-breaking Edinburgh-based singer-songwriter, composer and producer. A multi-instrumentalist, she mixes progressive electronica alongside harp and piano, while singing in her native Geordie-tinged dialect. Her upcoming album explores topics such as Shaw’s experience as a single mother, tales of imaginary friends, miniaturists, the porn industry, drunken brawls and feminist themes. New single ‘Miniature Self’ is about keeping yourself small, often subconsciously, in order to fit into the world around you. “I noticed that many of the women in my life, particularly those I grew up with, kept themselves ‘small’ not really asking for what they wanted or needed, instead, bending and adapting to the needs of those around them,” explains Shaw. “The song imagines what would happen if the protagonist stopped ‘people pleasing’ and allowed herself to grow, and grow, and grow.” Listen below.
chiika
chiika debuts her new Bollywood-Rock fusion single, ‘VILLAIN’. Exploring themes of revenge, regret, and unadulterated anger, ‘VILLAIN’ combines Indian instruments and inspiration with a proper rock grit. The track opens with a quiet but steady beat, matched by lyrics describing the end of a relationship. This reflection slowly builds with guitars and intensifying drums through the pre-chorus, before bursting into a dangerous-sounding chorus. As always, chiika meshes her Indian heritage with her British upbringing in her music; her lyrics in Hindi convey emotion easily understood by the non-speaker, and contribute to the image of ash and smoke created by this song. ‘VILLAIN’ is a particularly fiery offering for the summer season, and one to be enjoyed – and sung to late at night – by all sorts of listeners. Commenting on the track, chiika said, “This track was a joy to make. Writing these lyrics was a cathartic experience for me, and I’m very proud of how it turned out. Songs explore facets of personality, situations, and ideas – ‘VILLAIN’ is a piece which explores all three. I wanted to write a song which burned like fire but still culminated in a satisfactory conclusion, and I feel like I achieved that with this track.” Listen below.
L CON
Lisa Conway (L CON) is a Swiss-Canadian composer, sound artist, songwriter, producer, and mix engineer. An artist who continually tries to push herself into the unfamiliar, her multifaceted CV includes original scores and songs for documentaries, short films, and theatre productions, site-specific multi-channel sound and light installations, collaborations with contemporary dancers and performance artists, and an array of renowned creative residencies. Her discography involves a prolific output of self-produced, recorded, and independently released albums under various monikers, as well as multiple acclaimed records with former band Del Bel. Despite having composed many instrumental works for commissioned projects, this is Lisa’s first fully instrumental release. Holding Swiss exceptionalism to task, title-track ‘The Isolator’ blossoms from a lonely piano ballad to a sweeping string ensemble suite. Listen below.
Check out more of our recent submissions via the playlist below!